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Anyone who uses an Sci Atlanta explorer 2000 Digital Cable box or similar knows what I'm talking about, but one of the main problems with external channel changing is that sometimes the box turns itself off. Now forget the idiocy of not having an always on setting in the Explorer ( I've complained to TWC a bunch of times).

A cool feature would be to use the blank screen detction at show record start (or even live tv) to see if any input is coming though and if not have an external command send the power toggle IR to the cable box. (Unfortunately there is also no discrete power on for these boxes. What are these engineers thinking anyway?)

Are you using a serial connection or IR to control the external channel change? I use IR and mine doesn't shut off unless I lose power, and a UPS fixed that.

-------------------------------------------------------------- James S. White GAPS Incorporated james@jameswhite.org Electrical Engineer - Etc. http://www.jameswhite.org Caffeine is my anti-drug. -------------------------------------------------------------- I can picture in my mind a world without war, a world without hate. And I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd never expect it. -Jack Handy

On Sun, 21 Sep 2003, Jamison Wilde wrote:

> Anyone who uses an Sci Atlanta explorer 2000 Digital > Cable box or similar knows what I'm talking about, but > one of the main problems with external channel > changing is that sometimes the box turns itself off. > Now forget the idiocy of not having an always on > setting in the Explorer ( I've complained to TWC a > bunch of times). > > A cool feature would be to use the blank screen > detction at show record start (or even live tv) to see > if any input is coming though and if not have an > external command send the power toggle IR to the cable > box. (Unfortunately there is also no discrete power > on for these boxes. What are these engineers thinking > anyway?) > > Anyone else have this problem? > > > __________________________________ > Do you Yahoo!? > Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software > http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com>

>Are you using a serial connection or IR to control the external >channel >change? I use IR and mine doesn't shut off unless I lose >power, and a UPS >fxed that.

Not sure that you've used an Explorer, but they are IR only. I've gone through 4 explorers, 6 technicians, a complete rewire, and a 'hub boost'. Check out the ReplayTV forum at AVSForum, search for explorer...I'm not alone.

People have actually built devices that use light detectors to tell when the boxes have turned off(rebooted), that then send the ir signal to turn it back on.

Albeit, it's not really the boxes themselves, but the signal that causes it, but still, how hard would it have been for them to have a setting in the explorer that would turn itself back on after a reboot. The things can already turn back on for a recording.

> Not sure that you've used an Explorer, but they are IR > only. There's one plugged into the s-video in on my pvr-250 right now. I wasn't sure if you had found some arcane way of using the data port, USB, or Ethernet to control it. I was interested if such a thing existed, I use a redrat.

> I've gone through 4 explorers, 6 technicians, a > complete rewire, and a 'hub boost'. Check out the > ReplayTV forum at AVSForum, search for explorer...I'm > not alone.

I guess I'm really lucky, sorry about your problems. I have had mine lock up a couple times (usually takes about three months between reboots) But not power off. Is it your guess that your provider is powering the box off?

-------------------------------------------------------------- James S. White GAPS Incorporated james@jameswhite.org Electrical Engineer - Etc. http://www.jameswhite.org Caffeine is my anti-drug. -------------------------------------------------------------- I can picture in my mind a world without war, a world without hate. And I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd never expect it. -Jack Handy

On Mon, 22 Sep 2003, Jamison Wilde wrote:

> >Are you using a serial connection or IR to control > the external >channel > >change? I use IR and mine doesn't shut off unless I > lose >power, and a UPS > >fxed that. >